Over the course of my career as a family medicine physician, I have sought to provide families with the advice and resources they need to make health care decisions that are right for them. With more than 30 years of experience, I understand the importance of respecting individual choice while providing sound, evidence-based guidance so that parents can keep their children safe and healthy. So when families ask what steps they can take to achieve this, I always recommend immunizing their children against serious diseases.
One of the illnesses that can be especially serious for young children is respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). It not only infects a child’s nose, throat and lungs, but also causes a buildup of thick mucus. Taken together, these factors can lead to children wheezing and experiencing difficulty breathing, leaving them with bluish colored skin from a lack of oxygen.
RSV can be especially life-threatening for babies. Because their immune systems are still developing, they have a harder time fighting off these kinds of respiratory illnesses. In severe cases, RSV can require hospitalization. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates this virus alone hospitalizes up to 80,000 children annually.
What’s more is that we are currently watching RSV spread across the state of Florida. Tampa Bay area hospitals are seeing a big surge in kids showing up with RSV. Other regions like St. Petersburg are seeing pediatric emergency room reports that RSV cases have doubled from what they saw at this same time last year. If current trends continue, countless more babies and infants could be exposed to RSV, increasing the risk of hospitalization.
Thanks to FDA-approved RSV immunizations, however, parents now have access to safe and effective ways to protect their children from the worst of RSV. Several studies have revealed that these medical treatments can dramatically cut the incidence of respiratory tract infections in infants. That reduces the likelihood of babies developing severe RSV, keeping them healthy and out of the hospital. Most importantly, protection starts the very day a baby receives the immunization, delivering vital early coverage when it’s most needed.
That said, children are best protected from RSV when they are immunized at the right time. Babies born between the peak RSV months (October through March) should be immunized within their first week, while babies born earlier should receive immunization two weeks before the RSV season starts. To be clear, both health care providers and the most recent recommendations from the Department of Health and Human Services are in agreement that these guidelines help maximize RSV protection for infants.
I am glad that parents and families now have the tools needed to protect kids from RSV. As a doctor and parent myself, I urge families with young children to take advantage of these safe, effective FDA-approved immunizations.
Michael Cromer is the owner of MACMED Concierge Practice in Tampa and the former president of the Hillsborough County Medical Association.
